I saw him walking into the Slytherin common room with Angelina Johnson by his side. My heart sank as I watched them laughing. She looked at me and smirked. It was like a punch to the gut.I couldn't believe I'd been so blind. I thought I'd seen the real Draco, but maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see. Maybe he was always like this, using people to get what he wanted.I felt a surge of anger and embarrassment. How could he do this to me? How could he pretend to care about me just to get under my skin? I didn't care who he was with, I don't want himAnd then it hit me - Matteo. He was cute, charming, and definitely not afraid of speaking his mind.I thought about it for a moment before making a decision. Why not use Matteo to get back at Draco? Make him jealous, make him feel the same way he'd made me feel?I pushed off the wall and made my way over to where Matteo was sitting by himself in the corner of the common room. He looked up as I approached, and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled."Hey, y/n," he said, his voice low and smooth. "What's up?"I sat down next to him, trying to sound casual. "Just watching the game," I said, nodding towards the Quidditch match on the TV.Matteo followed my gaze and chuckled. "Yeah, Potter's going down."I laughed, feeling a sense of ease with Matteo that I didn't usually experience with anyone. "Yeah, looks like it."The conversation flowed easily from there. Matteo was easy to talk to - easy to be around.And as we talked, I found myself feeling more and more attracted to him. Not just because of his looks or his charm (although those didn't hurt), but because of who he was as a person.But that wasn't what this was about."Matteo?" I said, turning to him with a mischievous grin."Yeah?""I have a proposition for you," I said, my voice low and conspiratorial.He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of proposition?""I want you to do something for me," I said, leaning in close. "I want you to make Draco Malfoy jealous."Matteo's eyes narrowed. "Why?"I shrugged. "Because it'll be fun," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.But Matteo wasn't buying it. "You're not doing this just for fun," he said, his voice firm but gentle.I hesitated for a moment before answering. "Maybe not entirely," I admitted.Matteo's expression turned thoughtful. "Okay," he said finally. "I'll do it. But only if you promise me one thing.""What's that?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me."You have to tell me why, and why Malfoy when you could do so much better." Matteo said, his eyes locked on mine.I felt a pang of hesitation before nodding reluctantly. "Fine," I said. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone what we're doing."Matteo nodded solemnly. "Scout's honor," he said.And with that, our little game was set in motion.Over the next few days, Matteo started making an effort to spend more time with me - studying together, grabbing butterbeers together after class... everything short of actually holding hands (although that didn't seem like a bad idea either).Draco noticed immediately, his eyes following us around like we were some kind of pariah pair or something.And slowly but surely, his jealousy started to simmer over like a pot about to boil.It was glorious.I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as I watched Draco seethe and stew in his own juices.But as much as I loved watching him squirm, a part of me knew that this wasn't going anywhere good. This wasn't going to end well for anyone involved.And yet... and yet... I couldn't help but feel drawn to Matteo even more with each passing day. Maybe it was the thrill of playing games with Draco's emotions or maybe it was just because Matteo was genuinely nice guy who didn't treat me like dirt...Whatever it was, I knew one thing for sure - this game was far from over...
